OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA -- *Please note my UPDATE above indicating successful resolution to this problem. Sears replaced my tub and swapped out all parts from my old tub to the new one at ABSOLUTELY NO CHARGE to me! Many thanks for the assistance from California Department of Consumer Affairs within the California Attorney General Office which helped me force Sears to honor their warranty.

The tub developed a small crack and leak on the inside where a screw on the outside of the tub attaches a metal bracket to the tub. This leak allowed water to accumulate on the floor under the dishwasher, eventually soaking and ruining the toe kick portion of one of our kitchen cabinets.

My owner's manual shows the dishwasher tub has a FULL (not limited) WARRANTY for the life of the dishwasher against leaks. The owner's manual states the following:

"FULL WARRANTY FOR THE LIFE OF THE DISHWASHER, ON ULTRA LIFE TUB MODELS, AGAINST LEAKS IN THE TUB AND INNER DOOR PANEL.
For the life of the dishwasher, if a leak should occur as a result of failure of the polypropylene tub or inner door panel due to cracking, chipping or peeling, Sears will replace free of charge the tub or inner door panel.â

I called the Sears 1-800-4-MY HOME customer service department and talked to two representatives. The first told me that the dishwasher was only covered by a one year warranty. I explained to her that my ownerâs manual stated the dishwasher had a lifetime warranty on the tub. After checking with her manager, I was told that if the tub is defective, they will replace it for a $129 charge. This charge is for the Technician Service Call to diagnose the problem.

At first, I scheduled a technician, but called back immediately after hanging up because I was confused. I wanted to know if the $129 service charge would be waived when the technician verifies the tub is defective and under warranty. The second representative also said the $129 service charge would apply even if the tub is under warranty. Since I was not satisfied, I canceled the service call. I then went to my local Sears store where I bought the dishwasher and talked to the appliance manager. He could not help me, but did give me the 1-800-549-4505 corporate number to discuss the problem.

I called this corporate number and talked to a representative. She again told me that the $129 service fee would apply. Again, I tried to explain that the tub had a full lifetime warranty, so she put me on hold to check. While on hold for an extended period, I was hung up on.

So I called back again (now a fourth time) and talked to another representative. She understood my problem and frustration, and looked up the warranty information on my dishwasher. She verified that the tub was covered with a lifetime warranty. When I asked why I would be charged $129 for a service fee, she tried to explain to me that the PARTS were covered by the warranty, but the LABOR was not. She said the $129 service fee was a flat rate labor fee to install the free parts.

At this point I became quite frustrated and explained to her that she was incorrect. I quoted the actual FULL (not limited) WARRANTY language (a copy of which she had in front of her), stressing that it said âSears will replace FREE OF CHARGE the tub or inner door panelâ. She insisted that this was âpoorly wordedâ and that it only covered PARTS, not LABOR. I disagreed and told her that this is a legal contract AS WRITTEN for a FULL (not limited) WARRANTY between the manufacturer and the customer. As such, it is not limited to parts only. I also told her that no where in the tub warranty paragraph does it stipulate ONLY PARTS, NOT LABOR is covered.

She sympathized with me, but said âmy hands are tiedâ. She said she could only offer a technician to replace the tub for a flat $129 labor fee regardless if it took 30 minutes or 30 hours to fix. Realizing I was getting no satisfaction, I asked to speak to a manager that could offer me something that would be beneficial to both of us. She responded that she was a supervisor and has the ability to authorize action, and there was no higher authority. My response was that she was not offering any solution different from what the other customer service representatives were offering. She then provided the contact information to me for the Executive Customer Relations department.

So I wrote a letter, took pictures, scanned the owner's manual, and emailed all of this to the Customer Solutions Department at Sears Holdings Executive Customer Relations Department at the following email address:

shc@customerservice. Sears.com

The first email response I received said the dishwasher was not under warranty. So I replied that they were wrong, and stated that their own customer service representatives on 3 occasions had verified that the dishwasher was under warranty.

Their second email response to me said they verified that the dishwasher did have an "exceptional parts" warranty, but that a technician would be required to examine the dishwasher and the claim to verify that it is covered by the warranty. The email also said that Labor would not be included for this service.

I responded again and said this was a FULL LIFETIME WARRANTY, and as such Parts and Labor should be included. There was no response to this.

At present, the dishwasher has been out of service for over 2 weeks, and I have heard nothing back from Sears Holding. So I forwarded this complaint to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Illinois Attorney General Consumer Fraud Bureau for their investigation and assistance. In the meantime, I am posting this to various online consumer protection websites to share my negative experience with Sears, and to declare that I will never purchase another Sears branded product ever again.

On 3/14/2012, since I live in CA, I entered my complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs, which is a department within the California Attorney General Office. I also sent a copy to the Illinois Attorney General Office, since Sears HQ is in Illinois. On 3/15/2012, the CA Dept of Consumer Affairs sent me a letter saying they were investigating the complaint and asked me to send additional information. On 3/27/2012 I emailed them a copy of my original complaint letter I wrote to Sears (similar to this complaint I documented here), plus copies of my emails back and forth with Sears, plus a scanned copy of my warranty and original purchase receipt.

On 3/29/2012, I received a call from Sears. A customer service representative told me that the CA Attorney General Office had sent my complaint to the Sears Legal Office. The Sears Legal Office then instructed the customer service department to contact me to offer to replace my leaking dishwasher tub "free of charge". This customer service rep was VERY accommodating and offered to send a technician the next day to inspect my dishwasher so the proper parts could be ordered. Since Sears was now willing to honor their warranty, I scheduled the technician.

On 3/30/2012, the technician arrived and immediately opened the dishwasher and knew exactly where to look for the leak. He then pulled up his pc, found the parts, and ordered a new tub. When I asked him if he had ever seen this problem before, he said yes and showed me a service bulletin on his pc from the manufacturer that documented my issue EXACTLY, and how to correct it. The root cause was an improperly designed heating element for this machine. My machine has a somewhat rectangular heating element that runs essentially around the bottom perimeter of the tub, where as the redesign has a smaller round heating element that only runs around the center drain console. The technician said the problem is the heating element weakened the plastic tub where the support bracket is screwed into the tub, causing a crack to develop over time. The technician said that the heating element is used to heat the water for washing and rinsing, as well as to dry the dishes, so even though we never used the heated dry, the tub still failed.

The parts were ordered, and a second technician scheduled to do the repair. I received the parts and the technician arrived on 4/9/2012 and worked on the dishwasher for about 2 hours. Everything seems to be working fine. I ended up needing a new tub which included a new heating element, and a new door seal. All this was provided to me under warranty at "No Charge". All other parts were swapped from my old tub to the new one.

I am sharing this so that others might consider contacting your State Attorney General Office when all other attempts to work with the manufacturer fail, and you feel that your legal warranty is not being honored. This also shows the value in keeping your owners manual, warranty, and original purchase receipt.

One last note. I had to sign a receipt for the work done. On the receipt the labor cost was $147, and the retail parts cost was $424.70, for a total of $571.70. Even if the wholesale cost of the parts were only 1/2 what the retail cost is, the cost to Sears is over $350. In my original complaint letter to Sears, I suggested that they provide me a $200 voucher towards the purchase of the new dishwasher at Sears, provided it was not a Sears branded model. My reasoning is that a dishwasher should last at least 10 years, and since mine was 7 years old, I thought a 30% prorated discount was fair. A new dishwasher with similar features retails for about $600-700, so 30% works out to about a $200 discount. But Sears never took me up on my offer, even though one customer service rep and one of the technicians said they have done this before, even up to as much as $500. So I guess Sears just wanted to pay more money than was needed to throw away a loyal customer. No wonder Sears Holdings is in financial difficulty. So sad what an iconic American brand has sunk to.

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Oasis HE Kenmore Elite Washer - Awful Machine!

Posted by Deborah on 06/24/2011

3333 BEVERLY RD., HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILLINOIS -- We purchased an Oasis HE Kenmore Elite Washer from our local Sear store in 2006. At the time of our purchase we also purchased the extended warranty for both the washer and matching dryer. We had done loads of homework prior to our purchase and were convinced that this was the pair that would meet our needs.

Over the past several years we have had service calls for both the washer and dryer. I unfortunately did not call as often as I should have called for service as I am not a complainer and just try to make things work even if not all parts are doing as needed. The final straw concerning our washer happen on June 21, 2011. The washer did its normal beeping noises and my son said, "Mom your washer is at it again". So I tried to make magic happen once again and force the machine to complete the load of laundry but my efforts did not work. So reluctantly I called Sears service at 1-800-469-4663, to my amazement they were able to offer service on the following day. I was sure that luck was with us on this issue with the washer and we would be back-up and running in no time. My son arranged to be off work so that he could meet the service man sometime between 1:00 and 4:00. The service technician did come to the house around 1:30 and supposedly replaced the defective part (the washer’s brain) and assured my son that the washer was as good as new. When he called to report the news I was thrilled and looked forward to getting my laundry caught-up as soon as I got home after 6:00 pm.

I started a load of whites (bleach added of course) and thought all was good until the dreaded beeping sounds started again. I tried my magic yet again but nothing worked. I immediately called Sears service to request that the technician return to correct the issue. After several calls, request to speak with a manager, more calls to Sears’s service and messages left for a manager I was still out of luck until Wednesday, June 29th. Please remember that I have good white clothes sitting in bleach in a washer that will not work that was serviced and pronounce good as new. I also want to mention that the Sears Manager has yet to call me back. Not good Customer Service. I was also hung-up on during one of my calls. I never used profanity or even got nasty. I was only insistent that I needed help.

On Thursday, June 23rd I called Sears Service yet again and still got lots of run around from everyone. I spoke with a gentleman named Gerald at 9:03 am in the complaints escalation department. I repeatedly asked to speak with a manager but he said, "A manager cannot do any more than I have done" he refused my request. He finally gave me the address for the corporate office but refused to give me a number. He stated that there was no number to give me. This is funny as I looked one up on the internet while I was on the phone with him. Lied too again!
I then proceeded to call the corporate number and talked with Teresa. Her number is (888) 266-4043 ext. 82. Please call and ask to hear the taped conversation. You will find it very interesting. I was informed that a washer is not an essential appliance and I would have to wait. She did offer however to force a new service time of Monday, June 27th. Still no one is willing to own my problem of poor service and washer that will not work.
My husband and I discussed the issue and finally decided that a new washer was our only option. We purchased a new washer from Lowe's on Thursday, June 23rd. I have washed multiple loads and am now finally caught-up on my laundry.
My next concern is that when my husband and son removed the Kenmore Elite Oasis HE washer that was pronounced "good as new" only the day before from our home it literally fell apart. I have pictures that I will attach (unable to attach my pictures). Please email me and I will be happy to send them your way. I am appalled at how we have been treated as once loyal Sears Customers. My home is full of all Sears sold appliances and has been for more than 25 years. I am no longer able to give my hard earned dollars to Sears! What a sad day.

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What happened to Sears ? (Return issues,super loud Kenmore 795.7130)

Posted by Natalia on 05/08/2012

Rating: 2/51

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA -- I purchased Kenmore Bottom Freezer Refrigerator, model 795.7130 from Sears outlet on 05/06/2012 in San Diego for $1271.93,plus taxes, plus non refundable delivery, plus 3 years protection agreement, the total was $1780.18. Since the delivery it has been making a loud non stop noise. I can't stand it! It feels like I am on a plane. I hate it! Besides, the french doors are uneven, one hinge is defective, one plastic part of the french door is broken.

I stopped by the outlet requesting the refund. In response I was told that I have to call a technician who has to determine that the product is not repairable. Well... , I did not get it ...I just want to return the defective item and get my money back! Why do I need a technician? If it's a part of Sears's return policy, then I believe, it must be displayed at the entrance to the store, and at each cash register saying: " we don't accept returns unless our technician determine that item you bought is not repairable". Besides my receipt states: " If for any reason you are not satisfied, simply return your purchase..." What is going on? Sears is not Sears anymore. I should have stopped doing any business with Sears since my previous purchase - glass cook-top arrived broken in half!

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Sears Washing Machine

Posted by Tina on 07/11/2008

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- On March 7, 2005 I purchased a brand new "energy efficient" washer and dryer set from Sears and paid $1,909.79 for the set. Three short years later my washing machine quit working last Wednesday evening July 2, 2008. I spent all day Thursday on the phone with Sears repair centers trying to figure out what the F11 code meant that was being displayed on my washing machine. I was told that it was some type of electrical/computer problem and that it would take a technician coming out for a $70 service call to diagnose this problem as the warranty on this machine was only 2 years. I scheduled for the repairman to come to my home which they told me would be on Monday as Friday was the 4th of July holiday.

On Monday, July 7, 2008, a technician came to my home around 3:30 pm. - After hooking up his computer to my washing machine he told me that the part that needed replaced was something on the back- some type of main control board. He told me that he could either order a rebuilt one which would be $100.00 less than the new one but that a rebuilt one would take approximately five days to get here. However, he informed me that the new part was on his truck in stock and it was $279.43. He then told me that it would be a total of $402.33 to fix everything. I told him to go ahead with the new part as I couldn't wait another five days to have my washer fixed and needed it taken care of. He proceeded to put the new part on and a while later informed me that this did not correct the problem. He said that to fix the washer he was going to need to order another part as he didn't have it in stock and it would be approximately five days to get THAT one.

I told him that had I known that was the case, I wouldn't have paid an extra $100.00 for the NEW part that he just installed. He again repeated himself that it would take approximately FIVE days to get the part that was needed. I asked him why he couldn't have it overnighted and he explained that the "emergency ship" had closed at 2PM from taking orders so he wouldn't be able to order it to be expedited but would still order it today. He said "You can call the 1-800-4-MYHOME number tomorrow and they will give you a tracking number so that you will know exactly what date it will arrive".

I said "I have paid A LOT of money for a washer and dryer that are only THREE YEARS OLD only to have this $400 problem and now your telling me that you can't fix it for another five days. When is Sears going to do something to help ME as their customer" and he replied "They're not".

He then informed me that I would need to put at least $375.20 down that day to get the part ordered. I asked him "What if you get this other part and that's not the problem either, then how much more is it going to cost me" and he said "Nothing. It will either be fixed or we will refund your money". I said "Can I get that in writing" and he told me "No".

I called on Tuesday July 8,2008 to the number I was given and asked for a tracking number and was told there wasn't one to call back later. I called Tuesday evening again and was told the part hadn't even been ordered as they were trying to find one. I called on Wednesday July 9th and was told there was still no tracking number and the part hadn't been ordered yet. I called later in the day on Wednesday July 9th and spoke with a customer service rep at the same number and was again told the same thing. I asked her to speak to a Supervisor who could help me get to the bottom of this and she told me there wasn't one. I again told her I needed to speak to a Supervisor and she, in a very mocking sarcastic tone told me "they aren't taking calls today". I said "Then I would like whoever is above them" and she said "There isn't anyone" and I said "I would like to speak to someone there clear to the top that can help me with these problems" and she said "you are" and I said "Oh you run Sears" and she said "Yup". I then asked for her name and her employee number or last name for identification, both of which she refused, however, she told me that this phone call was being recorded. I hung up.

I then called the Sears Customer Relations number at 1-800-549-4505 and spoke with a rep. He was extremely professional and took all of the above mentioned information. He assured me that he would forward this to someone who WOULD get to the bottom of this and be contacting me within 24 hours.

Today is Thursday July 10th and I still have not received a phone call. Therefore, this afternoon I called the same customer relations number where I spoke to the first gentleman and then spoke with a female rep today. She asked me for my phone number, name and address, pulled up my file and then asked me what she could do for me. I said I had spoken to a gentlemen yesterday who assured me that someone would call me within 24 hours and nobody had. She then said "Well what's going on" So she made me go through the ENTIRE details AGAIN! After doing so she said "Well I'm really sorry this has happened to you but there is nothing I can do for you.

You will just have to wait for someone to call you back". She also told me that the part "looks like" it had been ordered however could not provide me with any type of tracking/shipping information. Today is now Friday July 11, 2008 and I just called the parts department again and was told that the part had been ordered from Whirlpool on July 9, 2008, and was being sent to Sears and then they would send it to me and it would be here in another 10 days. In the meantime, I have now been without a washer for 9 days and it appears that since nobody at Sears will take responsibility or be accountable for their products that it will be another few weeks.

Had I known about the customer service that Sears provided I would not have bought this appliance 3 years ago. I sold a standard GE washer and dryer that I had bought in 1992 when I bought this new set and it was still running perfectly and had never had any issues. I also was not aware that these new front load style machines with the computers in them bring MAJOR repairs charges. It's not something that you can buy a part and fix at home.

Do yourself a favor and don't buy a piece of GUM from Sears!!!!

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Kenmore Elite Washer/Dryer Bad Investment

Posted by TOM on 09/19/2013

Rating: 1/51

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- We purchased a Kenmore elite washer and dryer, top-of-the-line series that retail for almost $3000. It was purchased in December 2012 and in doing so we asked the salesperson if it was acceptable to hold off on delivery of that until our new home was completed approximately June or July and she indicated that it was acceptable and that I should call two weeks in advance and they will order both the washer and dryer and have it available for delivery.

She indicated that should there be a model change we will receive the newest model that would be available.

As it turned out there was in fact a new model of washer and dryer and we contacted them in July to have the items delivered and the salesperson who sold them to us no longer worked for Sears. Imagine that!

Upon speaking with the manager and upon speaking with the department we were told that we would get the one we ordered and that they did not know why that salesperson told us that but they would not honor her commitment.

We accepted that and they delivered the washer and dryer.

1) As soon as was delivered, they delivered the wrong dryer that had the wrong plug and was unable to set it up. They did not have the door to the dryer reversed as was ask for and the driver told us we would have to call service to have that done

2) the washer that was delivered that day had a failure immediately on set up and would not pump any water into the washer tub. They replaced the washer which I commend them for doing and this time we Receiving an unbalanced error and could never wash anything without the load being unbalanced and the computer system shutting down. Sears replaced the washer again at their choosing rather than to send out a technician which they should be applauded. That unit has the exact same problem.

It took one other call to get the door adjusted on the dryer. The dryer cuts off unattended. We will put a load of close in the dryer, walk away and come back and find out that the display is blank, the power is off, and the closer sitting in their wet.

The new replacement washer continues to have the same problematic issues with unbalanced load and we have a service technician scheduled to come out to look at both of them.

Prior to this we had contacted Sears and indicated that we wanted to return the Kenmore elite product and purchase either a Maytag or a Whirlpool product or at least something different if not simply give us back our money because it appears that there were problems with these units. They seem to have no problem with replacing the units because I suspect the busted once went back to the factories. They however, would not give us our money back as they said 60 days had passed since we purchased it on I said no, we had it installed in July and it was far less than 60 days but we were told by their customer service people which I suspect with their accents were not in the United States that we purchased it in December and I indicated yes, we did purchase it in December but it was not installed until July and that we wanted to return the items and I was again told no.

We escalated it to the corporate offices in Hoffman Estates and talk to what was to have been the office of the president escalating customer service issues we were treated rudely, we were talked down to, and we were told simply sit down, shut up you have purchased the unit and were not going to replace it, were not going to return it, call service if you have a problem.

I am a long time user of Sears as my mother worked for Sears and Roebuck in the 60s when Sears is owned coincidentally with Allstate insurance. So I go back a long way both with Allstate insurance as well as with purchasing my three pairs of jeans and my five shirts that all matched from Sears so that I can head off to grade school.

Sears has always stood behind their products at least until now and the last time that we purchased a product at least before this purchase was in 2000 with a washer dryer in refrigerator. Those worked flawlessly.

We now have invested a substantial amount of money and my wife has to regularly babysit the washer because we will get an unbalanced error and it will continue to fill the washer with water trying to rebounds the load and we have had some instances where the washer has run for three hours and we simply had to stop and take the wet clothes out and start over again.

We continue to have the problem with the dryer where it simply turns off on its own and unless we babysit it we will end up having three hours gone by and wet close sitting in a dryer that has no power no display and is not working.

My judgment is that Sears does not care and since they were purchased by Kmart, their attitude is that every consumer is dumb, ignorant, and they are doing them a favor to give them something from their stores.

I must say, this is the worst experience I've ever had with a product or a service in my life and the people that I dealt within the Hoffman Estates escalation department should be fired and they should rehire people and train them on at least how to be respectful.

I am open to have my mind to change but those are the facts and that is where it stands right now.

Company Response :Trobert66,
We truly apologize for the frustrating experience you have encountered with your appliances and the lack of customer service you have received. My name is Liz and I am a member of the Sears Social Media Support team. We can truly understand how important it is to have a working washer/dryer and we would like to provide you with some available options that may assist in correcting the problems you are experiencing. We have received your contact information and one of our case managers will be contacting you to address your concerns. . Again, we’re sorry for any trouble we have caused and we hope to talk to you soon.

Thank you,

Liz R.
Social Media Moderator
Sears Social Media Support

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Kenmore

Posted by Eric on 08/07/2013

Rating: 1/51

OHIO -- In 2006 we did an $85,000 renovation of our kitchen and chose to use all Kenmore Pro appliances. Our kitchen won NARI remodeling awards in northeast Ohio after its completion. Unfortunately, choosing Kenmore appliances has turned out to be a nightmare and that is an understatement. Shortly after installation the problems began.

We have had our dishwasher fixed approximately six times for leaking. If my memory serves me right we had it fixed three times in one year. As I write this today the dishwasher is leaking all over the kitchen. The Sears technicians have replaced the door seal multiple times and it obviously still leaks. We have paid repeatedly for subsequent repairs because Sears will only stand behind their repair 90 days, if at all. Even if it has been fixed five times for the same problem if the sixth event happens on day 91 Sears employs the “gotcha” and we have to pay again.

I contacted a chat agent at Sears today. They told me to fix it myself by going to managemylife.com! They would be happy to send another technician and charge me again but other than that I have been told to fix it myself. The agent then went on to say that Sears appreciates my business. That is not true.

In addition to the dishwasher problems we just had our Kenmore Pro refrigerator “serviced” because the inside rusted. Yes, you read that right, a Pro refrigerator rusted on the inside. The technician said it was defective workmanship but since it is no longer covered by warranty I have to pay for it.

Now we have our freezer scheduled for repair on Friday 8/9/13. We think the technician did something to the freezer when he repaired the refrigerator but do not anticipate Sears owning up to that.

Additionally, the numbers for the heat settings on our cooktop knobs all wore off. My wife used a Sharpie to write the numbers back on because Sears said it is normal wear and tear and that replacement knobs will cost us $50 each. That is a nice addition to an $85,000 kitchen.

A dream kitchen that in reality is a nightmare kitchen. Buyer beware. Sears will not stand behind their products. It is not the same company it once was.

Update
Sears sent me an email in regard to this post. They offered to "assist" with another repair of the dishwasher. "Assist" means they will offer me a discount on parts. Unreal. Insulting. Why would I pay any amount of money to have the dishwasher "fixed" again? Their technicians have not been able to fix it and they are now suggesting I should buy parts. If I don't laugh I will cry.
Alternatively they offered a discount on a new Kenmore dishwasher. Again, this makes no sense. Given their track record why would I purchase another Kenmore dishwasher? That is nuts. They have proven repeatedly that they don't stand behind their products. However, they repeatedly say they value my business. They value an unending stream of revenue for repairs that are the result of poor quality. They don't care that their substandard appliances are an Amityville horror for the homeowner.

Message to Sears: Divest of Kmart and not loyal customers.

Company Response :Ejraudins,
My name is Liz and I am a member of the Sears Cares Escalation Team. I came across your post and wanted to express our apologies for the difficulties you have experienced with your dishwasher repair. At Sears, we pride ourselves on making sure our valued customers are satisfied with our products and services and it appears we have not met that goal here. If you would allow us the opportunity, we would very much like to connect you with a dedicated case manager to further discuss your experience and see what can be done to restore your faith in Sears. At your earliest convenience please send the following information – contact #, the name and phone # used at time of purchase, as well as the screen name that I have assigned to reference your post (ejraudins), to smadvisor@searshc.com. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience we have caused you and look forward to speaking with you.

Liz R.
Social Media Moderator
Sears Social Media Support

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Microwave/Oven Combo Elite Junk

Posted by huggy4 on 02/26/2013

Rating: 1/51

WOODBURN, OREGON -- We purchased a microwave/wall oven combo from Sears last June (2012). From the start it didn't work as it said it should in the booklet of instructions. Called for tech to come. He didn't seem to know what he was doing with this appliance. While he told me the story about how awful customer service was when he had to order a part for one of his appliances he ordered a part for my brand new oven without hearing me tell him that we would be gone for the next week so not to send parts to house no one here. Oops, sorry already did.

Asked neighbors to watch for item which they did. We got home on a Friday they were to come the next morning and neighbors were not home to find out if parts had come. Had to cancel. Took two weeks to get anyone else out there. Second guy came, said it might need two other parts. Ordered them, first one came (they use UPS) in horrible shape so called them to say that I was afraid that the part may not be good. They ordered second one.

It came the day before appointment. Got the reminder call someone would be here between 12:00 noon and 5:00. At 6:30 I finally called to be told that it had been cancelled because their records didn't show that the part had been delivered here. No call to cancel but one to confirm appointment. It was two weeks out from Christmas at this point and I was getting ready to do yearly baking of cookies and goodies with grandchildren. Couldn't use oven since it wasn't working properly not to mention that I was having all my kids and their kids for Christmas dinner so needed the oven to work.

They scheduled the repair for Christmas Eve. I shared information about my health and the fact that I may not be here by next Christmas and had already lost the opportunity to do cookies and goodies with grandkids at which point they fit me in on Dec. 20th (2012). The first tech I had, had come again with help since they were going to have to remove the oven from wall to work on it. After all the having to wait for different parts it turned out the first part ordered was the problem. It was the heating element which is hidden under the bottom of the oven instead of exposed. Still acted up so called again. Made new appointment only to have oven stop acting up.

Cancelled that appointment only to have another problem pop up. My husband was making pizza when a small bit of cheese hit the bottom and caught fire. Smoke filled the oven and wouldn't dissipate. Set off our fire alarms over and over again. This problem continued to happen if anything hit the bottom of the oven regardless of how hot it supposedly was ruining food with smoke smell. I am sixty years old married forty years and have worked with at least 20 different ovens in my years. Never had this problem. Spillage caused smoke but it dissipated after short time. This isn't happening with this very expensive unit.

By the time the tech. (same one who came on the very first call with the other problem ) left all he had done was say that I needed to keep my oven cleaned (I had left some stuff on the bottom so he could see what happens with the smoke issue) and if something hit the bottom I would need to stop the oven, wait for it to cool down, wipe it off reheat the oven and continue cooking the meal. I asked him if he was serious since it is ridiculous to suggest that if I am preparing say a family holiday meal and something hits the bottom that I would have to take the turkey (or whatever out) cool the oven then reheat and continue cooking. He said he was only the repairman and not the designer of the machine and left. No fix, nothing.

Apparently he told my husband that he would check around to see if there was anything he could find out but have worked with this guy before. He is a person who didn't want to be here, was supposed to show up between 8:00 and 12:00 but called at 7:15 to ask if he could come right away. I wasn't even out of bed yet. My husband had to rush to get dressed to be able to deal with this idiot. If I don't get satisfaction with this issue I will sue. HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS TYPE OF CUSTOMER DISSERVICE AND AM GOING TO FIGHT BACK. SEARS IS THE WORST WHEN IT COMES TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND MAY GO OUT OF BUSINESS AS A RESULT ACCORDING TO ONLINE BUSINESS STORY I READ THE DAY BEFORE THIS LASTEST PROBLEM AND TECH. VISIT.

I hope everyone who reads this will join me in writing to the board of directors for Sears, all the top officers and demand that they stand behind their products or close the doors.

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New Kenmore Frig lasted only 10 months and they say it is only worth $150 back.

Posted by Bonnie on 06/11/2012

Rating: 1/51

PARKER, AZ, ARIZONA -- I am going to list a timeline on our problem:

10/23/10 - We bought, from Sears, a Kenmore Refrigerator Model # 106.60932900 at Parker, AZ. for the amount of $608.04.

5/1/11 - Turned off electrical service to Bouse, Az address. We are snowbirds and leave during the summer.

10/08/11 - Turned electrical service on at Bouse, AZ. Refrigerator not running for a 6 month period. I have paperwork to prove this.

1/25/12 - Discovered the freezer had completely defrosted, losing about $250 worth of food. Refrigerator fan and light on but not cooling.

1/27/12 - Called Sears 1-800 number. I explained the problem and they stated that since it had been purchased more than a year ago they could not help. They transferred me to another customer service person. After I explained it had only been working for a 10 month period they agreed to pay for the service call but stated that we would have to pay for any repairs. So they scheduled a repairman to come in a week.

2/2/12 - Repairman arrived 2 hours late and wrote up a quote that the compressor was not working and the cost to repair would be $905.32. ($626.02 for compressor((which I can order online for $447))and the rest to install). Since this would have cost us more than a new refrigerator we opted not to have that done.

2/3/12 - We went out and purchased another refrigerator from Lowe's, since we had been without a refrigerator for 10 days and we had company coming for a week.

2/7/12 - I found a email address for Sears on another web site and emailed to Social Media Support Team at Sears Corp. and stated my problem.

2/13/12 - Joi C., case manager of Social Media Case Manager, called and offered to replace the refrigerator. I said I already had purchased another one, since this was 20 days since the refrigerator stopped and I wanted my $600 refunded because it had only ran for 10 months. Then she offered us a $150 Sears gift certificate. I asked if she would email this offer to me as I was going to complain to everyone I could. She said she would.

2/21/12 Joi called back and offered the $150 again and said again she would email the quote, but all I got was a statement that the case was closed.

I understand that it was under warranty for 12 months. But we only used the refrigerator for a total of 10 months. This product was not of satisfactory quality, fit for one year of use, as laid down by the law.

To resolve the problem I request Sears to refund the $600 for the refrigerator. I also lost $250 worth of freezer food and went without a frig for 3 weeks. It would have been longer before being contacted by Sears.

Refrigerators usually last longer than 10 months. If Sears would have let me know that it might be possible to have it replaced from the beginning, we won't have bought a new refrigerator. We couldn't wait forever.

Company Response 09/03/2013:Dear Ms.J

We’re sorry that you’re facing the same problems with your refrigerator. My name is Edwin and I’m with the Sears Cares Social Media Support team. We would like to talk to you and assist you in resolving this problem with your refrigerator. Please send the following information – contact #, screen name (Ms.J) and the phone # used at time of purchase to smadvisor@searshc.com. Again, we apologize and we hope to speak with you soon.

Thank you,
Edwin C.
Social Media Moderator
Sears Social Media Support

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Bad Service and Bad Warranty

Posted by Shanika on 05/25/2012

Rating: 1/51

HOFFAMAN, ILLINOIS -- Dear Sears

My name is Shanika Case# 6012378. I am appalled by the lack of customer service at Sears from the local store to the representatives over the phone and managers from the executive office. I spoke to a case manager by the name of Ikhlvs [snip] who for starters barely speaks English. He is the rudest person I've spoken to in the last month from Sears. This case manager not only falsified his remarks in regards to my dealings with the 3 technicians that came out to my house and left me with broken appliances still and tried to persuade me to pay for services that weren't rendered. He also bluntly told me that my service wasn't important and that he has better things to do. I spoke to a Supervisor by the name Alicia who promised she would call me back and now she is unavailable at all times. Now they are giving me more of a run around. Voice mails..."she's not available right now"..." Just the worst EVER! I bought a full high end (SUPPOSEDLY) laundry appliances less than a year ago and is still under the manufacture warranty as well as the extended service plan. The appliances were over $2,000 was all Kenmore. It has taken Sears so far over 4 weeks and I still do not have a repaired washer and dryer. Iâve spent hours on the phone with them trying to get a simple repair. I was promised numerous times that someone would call me back within a certain amount of time and not once did they ever do so. They are the most incompetent people ever. First they sent a repair guy out and he couldn't even figure out how to turn the washer and dryer on to see if it worked. After I showed him how to do that, he said 'yes, washer and dryer doesn't work". He said he had to order parts and that I would have to pay for them and the travel expense. I declined not to order the parts because washer/dryer is covered under warranty, the technician became angry and demanding I had ask the gentlemen to leave. After many more hours, (I'm serious about that, hours!!) of phone calls and unfulfilled promises later to the national headquarters and Iâm still without working appliances. I feel that Iâve made a legitimate complaint to Sears about the conduct of a Sears employees via phone and that was dispatched to my home to perform maintenance on my washer and dryer and they still display lack of responsiveness and lack of accountability.

Today is August 30, 2012 and here I m still fighting with Sears for justice. After months of leaving messages waiting for the supervisor Alicia [snip] to call me back I finally was able to speak to her on today which she acted like to have no memory of our original conversation. Ms [snip] was supposed to be researching and attempting to collect the receipt for my purchase. When I asked Ms [snip] if she could tell me what resource she done and what location she attempted to contact(even though the warehouse/Outlet) is closed, she provided me with a number and said she do not know what store that number is for. Bottom line she has not attempted to verify any information or assist me. When I cough her in her lie she begin to get angry and started to repeat things about the technician coming out. Sears is a freaking joke and I am not stopping.

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Lack of Customer Service

Posted by fayeguieb56 on 09/22/2011

SUBJECT: We, the consumers, have a right to educate ourselves about misleading claims that companies make. This is one reason our experience is being told to warn other consumers that work hard for their money. It’s our opinion that SEARS made claims to us that were untrue and will not be honored. Following is our experience with SEARS.

My husband and I are very disappointed in SEARS LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. SEARS sold us a Kenmore “last year’s model” at a discounted price, untouched or removed from the carton. We were told it was guaranteed to work just as well as the newest versions of refrigerators.
We complained that our frozen food was being thawed out and then refrozen. We were very upset that we had to keep throwing food away because of this. We didn’t want to take the chance of becoming sick. We were told on the first 2 repair visits that they could not find anything wrong with our refrigerator. We were just told to keep food away from the proximity of the mechanisms on the top and bottom of the refrigerator and the repairmen turned up the cooling level setting on the refrigerator. IT DIDN”T SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

The 3rd visit from a repairmen found out (via a phone call he made), that our refrigerator model had a history of a faulty freezer mechanism. It would get “stuck” in the defrost mode too long and then the mechanism would freeze everything again afterwards. With this history of a freezer problem, they should have taken it off their sales floor when they found out about it.

By this time, it was now 7 months into our warranty, which meant we had 7 MONTHS OF WASTED FOOD WE HAD TO TOSS OUT. VERY INCONVENIENT AND BAD TO THE WALLET, TO SAY THE LEAST.

We wrote a letter to: CEO: W. Bruce Johnson, of SEARS, Roebuck & Co., 3333 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179. We thought it would be fair that SEARS honored our monetary loss, by reimbursing us for all the food we threw away to avoid food poisoning or getting sick from it. We also thought it was unfair that we had to wait hours (one time we had to wait 6 ½ hours past the repairman’s estimated time of arrival.) Again, VERY INCONVENIENT and A LOT OF WASTED TIME, TAKING TIME FROM OTHER THINGS, LIKE OUR JOBS.
SEARS hadn’t even offered to lend us a “working compact freezer” to use while we waited for the new part. SEARS knew our complaint each time was that we had to throw the frozen, then defrosted, then frozen food away. As I previously said, they knew that model had a history of a bad freezer mechanism and they still had it on the sales floor.
A representative that worked under SEARS CEO W. Bruce Johnson’s response was to offer us a “one time offer, take it or leave it” of a $150.00 gift card to SEARS to cover the wasted food. We spent a lot more money then that on food that we had to throw away, but it was better than nothing at all.
A week or two later, a repairman came with a new part to replace the “malfunctioning one.” But after using the refrigerator and adjusting the mechanism to different levels of cooling settings, the REFRIGERATOR STILL CONTINUED TO GIVE US PROBLEMS. The ice cream, frozen waffles etc., in the freezer would be “deformed” in the freezer area from not being frozen enough and at the same time; the bottles of water in the lower refrigerator area would be frozen, along with rice, strawberries, and various other food items in the lower fridge. We would have to take the bottled water and let it sit for hours in order to drink it.
So we once again called for service. On Sept. 10th, the repairmen came out again and said nothing was wrong with our refrigerator (déjà vu) and told us to keep the food away from the mechanisms, to leave space around them. This is what we were told to do before they discovered the faulty history of the refrigerator (déjà vu).
In the meantime, SEARS Warranty Service kept calling us to give us the opportunity to extend our warranty. I told them I was not happy with the service warranty we had now and that we would probably never buy a large appliance again from SEARS. They then said that after 4 service calls within a year, we could opt for a different refrigerator from SEARS if we were not satisfied. SEARS Warranty Unit didn’t even know why we were unhappy and threw in this claim to make the warranty sound so good. One of the repairmen also told us this, too.
On the last day of our one year warranty SEARS Warranty Service called a 6th time, and reiterated the same claims of satisfaction to customers. This was upsetting, since it didn’t seem to be true, so, I put in a call to the SEARS Blue Crew Home Repair spoke to a “real person,” and also left a message that we wanted a new refrigerator because ours was still not working properly. I also called SEARS in Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, WA and left a message with an “apparel manager” that was filling in for the large appliance manager.
The next day my husband and I went to talk to the large appliance manager, David Thompson. He had not read the e-mail from the apparel manager yet. I told him that I had requested a new refrigerator on the last day of our warranty with both his department at Southcenter, Tukwila and with Customer Service repair people.
Mr. Thompson seemed sincerely interested in helping us with our problem and said he understood. He was very polite and professional and we felt like we were finally talking to someone that believed our problems with the refrigerator. He said he had also had trouble with a refrigerator he purchased from Home Depot, and that it wasn’t just SEARS appliances. It did, however, make me wonder why he had purchased a refrigerator at Home Depot when he was the manager of large appliances at SEARS!
NOTE: There is a guy that works here that had bought a refrigerator at HOME DEPOT with the same exact problem we had, and they actually replaced his refrigerator with THREE DIFFERENT ones in 4 months until he was satisfied. I do not know what the outcome for Mr. Thompson when he had the dysfunctional refrigerator from Home Depot.
Mr. Thompson sent an e-mail to his supervisor and said we should be contacted by him within a couple of days. He said there probably wouldn’t be a problem in replacing our refrigerator. But Mr. Thompson’s supervisor never called (no one did, including the SEARS Blue Crew Home Repair.
On Sept 18th, 2011, my husband, (2nd time), went back to see Mr. Thompson in person at SEARS. His response was that his supervisor had not responded to his e-mail, but that he had been informed that we had to have 4 service calls plus 4 parts replaced before a refrigerator would be replaced. Mr. Thompson said that this policy was new to him and he had not been made aware of this new change. He told my husband to send in the original receipt of the refrigerator.
As of today, Sept. 22nd, 2011, we still haven’t heard from the SEARS Blue Crew or Mr. Thompson’s supervisor.
IS IT SEARS NEW POLICY TO PROLONG OR IGNORE THE CUSTOMERS UNTIL THEY GIVE UP HOPE? My opinion is that it seems to be their policy to be VERY persistent when your warranty is coming to an end so they can get more money from you, but not to be persistent when you need something.
Although I had already told SEARS that I wasn’t going to buy the extended warranty, they kept calling us, after I had told them, “no thanks.” The very next day after my husband spoke to Mr. Thompson the 2nd time, SEARS called us again to extend our warranty and although I had no intention of extending our warranty, I asked them about customer satisfaction and getting a replacement for your refrigerator if not satisfied. They said the policy was 4 service calls and that you DID NOT HAVE TO HAVE 4 PARTS REPLACED to get another refrigerator that was satisfactory to the customer. They, of course, was NOT aware of our situation.
Uhm…..different responses for different circumstances.
SUMMARY: We, the consumers, have a right to educate ourselves about misleading claims that companies make, either in writing or verBally. If it’s a verbal promise, a good company would honor it.
This is our experience and we wanted to share it with those who might have the same problem with SEARS. I’m sure there are a lot of satisfied customers buying large appliances from SEARS, but our experience has left us very disappointed. We were told for 7 months that nothing was wrong with our refrigerator until the “history of the bad freezer model” was revealed before we were taken seriously. Now it’s happening again and we feel like they don’t believe or care.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH SEARS!!!!!
Mr. and Mrs. Coe
Seattle, WA